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Google Ranking Factors for Senior Living in 2019: What to Prioritize?

Did you know: Google updates its algorithm more than 500 times per year? Within this proprietary algorithm, Google uses over 200 ranking factors.

But which Google ranking factors matter most?

Continue reading to learn:

• How search intent correlates with search results
• The definition of Google ranking factors
• Six prominent Google ranking factors

How Search Intent Helps Google Serve Results

It’s important to consider the intent of the people who are typing in search terms at the time of the query.

Are the people searching these terms ready to tour a community today? Or, are they beginning the information-gathering process? Are these people searching nationally? Or, are they searching for local options?

Google factors search intent into the results that are presented on the SERP. With 55 percent of clicks going to the first three organic results on Google’s SERP, it’s essential for your community to be visible on the first page. Prioritizing the right Google ranking factors and matching your site’s content to the intent of your traffic will increase the likelihood that your website earns this visibility consistently.

What Are Google Ranking Factors?

We stated that Google uses over 200 (known) ranking factors. But what is a ranking factor?

A ranking factor is what Google uses to help determine where your website will appear for users searching for terms related to your industry. One important distinction to keep in mind is that Google doesn’t weigh all ranking factors the same. Some ranking factors could produce a minor lift for your community, while others could make a substantial difference in your website’s position compared to your competition on Google’s SERP.

Six Ranking Factors Your Senior Living Marketing Team Needs to Optimize

Backlinko has done a great job of updating its list of Google ranking factors each year and can serve as a valuable resource for your senior living marketing team.

If your community focuses on the following ranking factors in 2019, your website will be primed to rank in search results:

• HTTP vs. HTTPS – How secure is your website?
• Keywords – Is your community using keywords helpful to those reading your site’s content, or is your content keyword stuffed?
• Content – Is your content truly helpful for prospective residents and ACIs?
• Mobile – Is your community’s website responsive on users’ smart phones?
• Site Speed – How long does it take your website to load on desktop, mobile, or tablets?
• Backlinks – Are there trusted, reputable industry websites linking out to yours?

After your team optimizes its website for the ranking factors above, it should begin optimizing for ranking factors that carry less weight, but still provide signals to Google.

Six Ranking Factors Down, Many Optimizations to go. Contact Us for Help

With over 196 ranking factors to consider, it’s understandable if your community needs help identifying which ranking factors to tackle next. Contact our team, and we’ll help your community prioritize the ranking factors that will make the most impact for your website.